The Chalk Circle notably disproves the ideology that complex diction is necessary when creating a work of poignant excellence. Utilizing duality as a reoccurring tool, the anonymous playwright touches upon the deceptive and corrupt nature of mankind. Alluding to a biblical narrative, the dramatist also portrays the boundless essence of a mother’s love; effectively moving the hearts of many in the process.
Paul of Tarsus once claimed that human nature spawned from evil; that mankind was innately corrupt. A wide majority of the playwright’s characters illustrate the scholar’s conviction through their displays of duplicity. The epitome of evil and hypocrisy in the dramatic work is Ma Chun-shing . Initially, the audience expects to be presented with a woman whose role as first wife makes her kind and supportive; however, she turns out essentially odious and conniving. “Without any doubt, Put all your trust in me…Hai-t’ang, thy brother has parted with the robes and head ornaments…if Ma Chun-shing asks what you have done, I am sorry for you!…”(235) As the antagonist of the drama, the first wife does all in her power to eliminate Hai-t’ang off the face of the Earth because she is preferred by their husband, Lord Chun-shing. In doing so, the woman demonstrates one of mankind’s greatest weaknesses: jealousy. It is this emotion which catalyzes every sinful act she undergoes; from her adulterous love affair to her false testimonies towards the second wife. Another deceptive individual is Judge Su-Shun ,whom the audience expects will reflect his title (wise and justice seeking), but demonstrates the characteristics of an injudicious man, lacking ethics and moral value. “Though I am magistrate, I need never exert myself to pass sentence. When it is a question of whether to flog someone to set him at liberty, I leave it to the pleasure of the clerk Ch’ao…Whether the accusation be true or false…He is at perfect liberty to choose. I demand but one thing, Silver.” (246) . Though the judge’s apathetic outlook on justice and his vulnerability towards material wealth present paradoxes, they bring the audience to realize another less attractive side of human nature: negligence. Contemporary society shuns injustice, yet it is practiced daily from the government to the streets. Issues not directly affecting a people, a society are shrugged off as irrelevant because they are considered benign. Hence humanity tends to parallel with the inattentive judge, because if placed in the same position, they the people would close their eyes to Hai-t’ang just as easily.
At the final tribunal, supreme judge Poa-Ch’ing declares that the ultimate test be performed before condemning Hai-t’ang to death. The evaluation is simple: place the child in the center of a circle and have the two mother’s pull until the infant yields to the true mother (The Chalk Circle). After being flogged, beaten, morally tarnished and humiliated Hai-t’ang is merely being asked to pull her child towards her so that she may walk away a free woman; however, she cannot perform the task. The playwright’s emphasis on motherly love is hence displayed in this climactic scene. “If I cannot, Honored Sir, obtain my son without dislocating his arm or bruising his baby flesh, I would rather perish under the blows than make the least effort to take him out f the circle.” (255). The woman is prepared to take death and or give the child to another, just so that he may live unharmed. This -to the playwright- is what defines a mother in all veracity: extraordinary and boundless love towards her own. “…the chalk circle augustly brought out the truth and the falsity. She has an engaging exterior, but her heart is corrupt. The true mother is at last recognized.” (256). In the New Testament of the bible there lies a narrative in which two women are brought to a King (Solomon), both claiming to be the mother of a sole child. The King, wise and true, suggests cutting the child in two so that each mother can have a piece and the conflict can be resolved. The false mother quickly agrees; however, the true mother, pleads to the contrary. She tells the King to give the child to the other, so that he may live. Hence, the King realizes that this is the true mother. She is willing to give the child away so that its life may be saved. This passage reflects a theme synonymous to that expressed in the anonymous dramatist’s play. A mother’s love is boundless, making it one of the most significant things in the world.
The Chalk Circle, written by an anonymous author, captivates the reader through its vivid imagery and details. The author makes a plethora of references to nature, especially when making comparisons to describe people. Common themes in the Chinese play include jealousy, deceit, revenge, truth, honor, and justice. The detail with which the author informs the reader of the characters’ actions give proof of the distinctive nature of Asians. The characters constantly kneel and praise those considered to have higher positions in society than themselves.
The play begins with Mrs. Ch’ang describing the beauty and talents of her daughter Hai-t’ang. Mrs. Ch’ang compares her daughter’s exquisite abilities to nature by stating, “She…(can) dance like the spirit of a white butterfly flitting amongst the ethereal flowers of heaven. She can sing like a nightingale… . In a word, there is not a talent she does not possess to perfection” (228). After agreeing to marry Hai-t’ang as the Second Wife to the nobleman Ma Chun-shing, Mrs. Ch’ang praises her daughter as, “…my child, my Golden Lotus…” (230). Ma Chun-shing himself also compares Hai-t’ang’s features to nature when he claims, “Her beauty lights the morn with Celestial radiance and her smile is lovelier than the rarest jade” (229). Mrs. Ma, Ma Chun-shin’s first wife, uses nature to describe a person (her lover) as well: “Near here dwells a clerk named Ch’ao, who is as handsome as a spring morning…” (230). Ch’ao associates his lover with the beauty of nature in return by saying, “A lady whose cheeks rival the most beautiful flowers. …endowed with a most seductive face, the equal of which it may be doubted if heaven or earth has ever produced” (231). Throughout The Chalk Circle, the anonymous author makes comparisons between nature and the physical beauty of people.
The twisted plot in The Chalk Circle involves a number of opposing themes, such as jealousy, deceit, and revenge, versus honor, truth, and justice. Mrs. Ma, after the marriage of Hai-t’ang to Ma Chun-shing, resorts to the use of deceit and revenge in attempts to satisfy her jealousy. When Mrs. Ma first introduces herself, it becomes clear that she feels jealous of Hai-t’ang’s relationship with Ma Chun-shing. Mrs. Ma tries to cover her envy and feelings of inferiority by stating, “I occupy the important position of First Wife to Ma Chun-shing,” even though his second wife, Hai-t’ang, has a son with their husband (230). Contrary to her true feelings, Mrs. Ma also claims, “It is not that I am jealous of her; even she does not impute that to me” (236). She even goes as far as plotting to kill her husband with poison, “in order to live always with Ch’ao as a wife with her husband” (230). Mrs. Ma deceives her husband by telling him that Hai-t’ang has given her robes and ornaments to a lover, when she herself has a secret lover. But Ma Chun-shing does not know that Mrs. Ma demanded Hai-t’ang to take off her robes, and actually gave the robes and ornaments to Ch’ang-Lin (Hai-t’ang’s brother) herself. So Ma Chun-shing believes Mrs. Ma’s word instead of Hai-t’ang’s, and starts to beat Hai-t’ang as punishment for betraying him. In her next step of revenge to destroy Hai-t‘ang for taking her husband away from her, Mrs. Ma puts poison in the broth which she demands Hai-t’ang to make, so that Ma Chun-shing supposedly dies from drinking a concoction made by Hai-t’ang. Mrs. Ma connives further by bribing townspeople with silver to lie in court and say that she really gave birth to that Hai-t’ang’s son in order to win custody of him. Despite Mrs. Ma’s desperate and extreme attempts to get Hai-t’ang sentenced to death for crimes which she herself committed, justice finally prevails when the honorable Pao-ch’ing uses the chalk circle as a means of finding out the truth. He hypothesizes that, “When the real mother takes hold of him, it will be easy for the child to come outside the circle. But the pretended mother cannot” (255). Hai-t’ang repeatedly refers to Pao-ch’ing as “Honored Sir,” due to the fact that honor remains a virtue considered very important to Asians. At the conclusion of the play, Hai-t‘ang praises, “Honored Sir, this history of the Chalk Circle is worthy of being spread over the four seas and over all the kingdoms of the Celestial Empire” (258).
The anonymous Chinese author of The Chalk Circle exemplifies the focus on nature in eastern writing through the numerous comparisons and descriptions regarding the natural world. The author also ties typical Asian themes and virtues, such as jealousy, deceit, revenge, honor, truth, and justice, into the unique and intriguing plot. Through dialogue and virtues typical of eastern cultures, The Chalk Circle gives insight into the humble ways and mannerisms of the Chinese.
Sacrifice and suffering often play a pivotal role in dramatic works. In the The Chalk Circle , Hai-t’ang’s heartache and unselfish love for her child are displayed when she offers her baby to the false mother in an effort to leave the offspring unharmed. This classic tale may ring a bell for those who avidly read or understand stories from the Bible. Again, being Hindu, it took me a while to realize this play was an allusion to 1 King 3:16-28. Nevertheless, I figured it out and realized I recognize this biblical piece was used in an old episode of Recess, an adorable Disney show that aired between 1997 and 2001.
In the episode two girls fought over a doll. King Bob declared that the doll be cut in half. Sure enough, the true owner of the doll couldn’t bear to see her beloved doll destroyed, so she sadly allowed the other girl to keep the toy as long as it was kept in one piece.
Hai-t’ang remains my favorite character throughout the play for her use of peaceful and clever dialogue. “Through the silken curtains/At my window/I contemplate the moon/And its cold shadows…No more will I make traffic with my beauty…”(Clark, 232). Just reading her parts make me feel better. Not only does Hai-t’ang speak with poise and grace, so does Mrs. Ma when she says “For man achieves/Not by himself alone,/Nor woman, either;/But like the fabled/One winged birds, they two/Must rise together ( Clark, 231).
In most of the works we read, there seems to be a heavy emphasis on sex and power or the lack of the two. Yes, we gather that Hai-t’ang doesn’t have the most prestigious profession, and she desperately tries to help her mother make ends meet, but it would ease the sting if her brother wasn’t so damn sarcastic all the time. Does he have to refer to her as “excellent sister”, “most marvelous of sisters”, and “honorable sister”? We get that he feels his sister has dishonored the family’s name. The girl is doing what she can! Goodness. Men: can’t live with ‘em; Can’t live without ‘em! She responds eloquently with, “Sweet morsels fall from your lips/Like cherries dipped in honey./ I see that you have learned that flattery/ Is the password to a warm welcome”(Clark 233). What a smooth woman. She is a firecracker and knows exactly what to say. How can you not love this woman!? Hai-t’ang proves her courage and strength as a woman and as a mother till the end of the play. Hai-t’ang proves her courage and strength as a woman and as a mother till the end of the play.
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The Chalk Circle notably disproves the ideology that complex diction is necessary when creating a work of poignant excellence. Utilizing duality as a reoccurring tool, the anonymous playwright touches upon the deceptive and corrupt nature of mankind. Alluding to a biblical narrative, the dramatist also portrays the boundless essence of a mother’s love; effectively moving the hearts of many in the process.
Paul of Tarsus once claimed that human nature spawned from evil; that mankind was innately corrupt. A wide majority of the playwright’s characters illustrate the scholar’s conviction through their displays of duplicity. The epitome of evil and hypocrisy in the dramatic work is Ma Chun-shing . Initially, the audience expects to be presented with a woman whose role as first wife makes her kind and supportive; however, she turns out essentially odious and conniving. “Without any doubt, Put all your trust in me…Hai-t’ang, thy brother has parted with the robes and head ornaments…if Ma Chun-shing asks what you have done, I am sorry for you!…”(235) As the antagonist of the drama, the first wife does all in her power to eliminate Hai-t’ang off the face of the Earth because she is preferred by their husband, Lord Chun-shing. In doing so, the woman demonstrates one of mankind’s greatest weaknesses: jealousy. It is this emotion which catalyzes every sinful act she undergoes; from her adulterous love affair to her false testimonies towards the second wife. Another deceptive individual is Judge Su-Shun ,whom the audience expects will reflect his title (wise and justice seeking), but demonstrates the characteristics of an injudicious man, lacking ethics and moral value. “Though I am magistrate, I need never exert myself to pass sentence. When it is a question of whether to flog someone to set him at liberty, I leave it to the pleasure of the clerk Ch’ao…Whether the accusation be true or false…He is at perfect liberty to choose. I demand but one thing, Silver.” (246) . Though the judge’s apathetic outlook on justice and his vulnerability towards material wealth present paradoxes, they bring the audience to realize another less attractive side of human nature: negligence. Contemporary society shuns injustice, yet it is practiced daily from the government to the streets. Issues not directly affecting a people, a society are shrugged off as irrelevant because they are considered benign. Hence humanity tends to parallel with the inattentive judge, because if placed in the same position, they the people would close their eyes to Hai-t’ang just as easily.
At the final tribunal, supreme judge Poa-Ch’ing declares that the ultimate test be performed before condemning Hai-t’ang to death. The evaluation is simple: place the child in the center of a circle and have the two mother’s pull until the infant yields to the true mother (The Chalk Circle). After being flogged, beaten, morally tarnished and humiliated Hai-t’ang is merely being asked to pull her child towards her so that she may walk away a free woman; however, she cannot perform the task. The playwright’s emphasis on motherly love is hence displayed in this climactic scene. “If I cannot, Honored Sir, obtain my son without dislocating his arm or bruising his baby flesh, I would rather perish under the blows than make the least effort to take him out f the circle.” (255). The woman is prepared to take death and or give the child to another, just so that he may live unharmed. This -to the playwright- is what defines a mother in all veracity: extraordinary and boundless love towards her own. “…the chalk circle augustly brought out the truth and the falsity. She has an engaging exterior, but her heart is corrupt. The true mother is at last recognized.” (256). In the New Testament of the bible there lies a narrative in which two women are brought to a King (Solomon), both claiming to be the mother of a sole child. The King, wise and true, suggests cutting the child in two so that each mother can have a piece and the conflict can be resolved. The false mother quickly agrees; however, the true mother, pleads to the contrary. She tells the King to give the child to the other, so that he may live. Hence, the King realizes that this is the true mother. She is willing to give the child away so that its life may be saved. This passage reflects a theme synonymous to that expressed in the anonymous dramatist’s play. A mother’s love is boundless, making it one of the most significant things in the world.
The Chalk Circle, written by an anonymous author, captivates the reader through its vivid imagery and details. The author makes a plethora of references to nature, especially when making comparisons to describe people. Common themes in the Chinese play include jealousy, deceit, revenge, truth, honor, and justice. The detail with which the author informs the reader of the characters’ actions give proof of the distinctive nature of Asians. The characters constantly kneel and praise those considered to have higher positions in society than themselves.
The play begins with Mrs. Ch’ang describing the beauty and talents of her daughter Hai-t’ang. Mrs. Ch’ang compares her daughter’s exquisite abilities to nature by stating, “She…(can) dance like the spirit of a white butterfly flitting amongst the ethereal flowers of heaven. She can sing like a nightingale… . In a word, there is not a talent she does not possess to perfection” (228). After agreeing to marry Hai-t’ang as the Second Wife to the nobleman Ma Chun-shing, Mrs. Ch’ang praises her daughter as, “…my child, my Golden Lotus…” (230). Ma Chun-shing himself also compares Hai-t’ang’s features to nature when he claims, “Her beauty lights the morn with Celestial radiance and her smile is lovelier than the rarest jade” (229). Mrs. Ma, Ma Chun-shin’s first wife, uses nature to describe a person (her lover) as well: “Near here dwells a clerk named Ch’ao, who is as handsome as a spring morning…” (230). Ch’ao associates his lover with the beauty of nature in return by saying, “A lady whose cheeks rival the most beautiful flowers. …endowed with a most seductive face, the equal of which it may be doubted if heaven or earth has ever produced” (231). Throughout The Chalk Circle, the anonymous author makes comparisons between nature and the physical beauty of people.
The twisted plot in The Chalk Circle involves a number of opposing themes, such as jealousy, deceit, and revenge, versus honor, truth, and justice. Mrs. Ma, after the marriage of Hai-t’ang to Ma Chun-shing, resorts to the use of deceit and revenge in attempts to satisfy her jealousy. When Mrs. Ma first introduces herself, it becomes clear that she feels jealous of Hai-t’ang’s relationship with Ma Chun-shing. Mrs. Ma tries to cover her envy and feelings of inferiority by stating, “I occupy the important position of First Wife to Ma Chun-shing,” even though his second wife, Hai-t’ang, has a son with their husband (230). Contrary to her true feelings, Mrs. Ma also claims, “It is not that I am jealous of her; even she does not impute that to me” (236). She even goes as far as plotting to kill her husband with poison, “in order to live always with Ch’ao as a wife with her husband” (230). Mrs. Ma deceives her husband by telling him that Hai-t’ang has given her robes and ornaments to a lover, when she herself has a secret lover. But Ma Chun-shing does not know that Mrs. Ma demanded Hai-t’ang to take off her robes, and actually gave the robes and ornaments to Ch’ang-Lin (Hai-t’ang’s brother) herself. So Ma Chun-shing believes Mrs. Ma’s word instead of Hai-t’ang’s, and starts to beat Hai-t’ang as punishment for betraying him. In her next step of revenge to destroy Hai-t‘ang for taking her husband away from her, Mrs. Ma puts poison in the broth which she demands Hai-t’ang to make, so that Ma Chun-shing supposedly dies from drinking a concoction made by Hai-t’ang. Mrs. Ma connives further by bribing townspeople with silver to lie in court and say that she really gave birth to that Hai-t’ang’s son in order to win custody of him. Despite Mrs. Ma’s desperate and extreme attempts to get Hai-t’ang sentenced to death for crimes which she herself committed, justice finally prevails when the honorable Pao-ch’ing uses the chalk circle as a means of finding out the truth. He hypothesizes that, “When the real mother takes hold of him, it will be easy for the child to come outside the circle. But the pretended mother cannot” (255). Hai-t’ang repeatedly refers to Pao-ch’ing as “Honored Sir,” due to the fact that honor remains a virtue considered very important to Asians. At the conclusion of the play, Hai-t‘ang praises, “Honored Sir, this history of the Chalk Circle is worthy of being spread over the four seas and over all the kingdoms of the Celestial Empire” (258).
The anonymous Chinese author of The Chalk Circle exemplifies the focus on nature in eastern writing through the numerous comparisons and descriptions regarding the natural world. The author also ties typical Asian themes and virtues, such as jealousy, deceit, revenge, honor, truth, and justice, into the unique and intriguing plot. Through dialogue and virtues typical of eastern cultures, The Chalk Circle gives insight into the humble ways and mannerisms of the Chinese.
Sacrifice and suffering often play a pivotal role in dramatic works. In the The Chalk Circle , Hai-t’ang’s heartache and unselfish love for her child are displayed when she offers her baby to the false mother in an effort to leave the offspring unharmed. This classic tale may ring a bell for those who avidly read or understand stories from the Bible. Again, being Hindu, it took me a while to realize this play was an allusion to
1 King 3:16-28. Nevertheless, I figured it out and realized I recognize this biblical piece was used in an old episode of Recess, an adorable Disney show that aired between 1997 and 2001.
In the episode two girls fought over a doll. King Bob declared that the doll be cut in half. Sure enough, the true owner of the doll couldn’t bear to see her beloved doll destroyed, so she sadly allowed the other girl to keep the toy as long as it was kept in one piece.
Hai-t’ang remains my favorite character throughout the play for her use of peaceful and clever dialogue. “Through the silken curtains/At my window/I contemplate the moon/And its cold shadows…No more will I make traffic with my beauty…”(Clark, 232). Just reading her parts make me feel better. Not only does Hai-t’ang speak with poise and grace, so does Mrs. Ma when she says “For man achieves/Not by himself alone,/Nor woman, either;/But like the fabled/One winged birds, they two/Must rise together ( Clark, 231).
In most of the works we read, there seems to be a heavy emphasis on sex and power or the lack of the two. Yes, we gather that Hai-t’ang doesn’t have the most prestigious profession, and she desperately tries to help her mother make ends meet, but it would ease the sting if her brother wasn’t so damn sarcastic all the time. Does he have to refer to her as “excellent sister”, “most marvelous of sisters”, and “honorable sister”? We get that he feels his sister has dishonored the family’s name. The girl is doing what she can! Goodness. Men: can’t live with ‘em; Can’t live without ‘em! She responds eloquently with, “Sweet morsels fall from your lips/Like cherries dipped in honey./ I see that you have learned that flattery/ Is the password to a warm welcome”(Clark 233). What a smooth woman. She is a firecracker and knows exactly what to say. How can you not love this woman!? Hai-t’ang proves her courage and strength as a woman and as a mother till the end of the play. Hai-t’ang proves her courage and strength as a woman and as a mother till the end of the play.
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